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SACRAMENTO — The state Assembly continued negotiations Friday to try to break its budget logjam while the Senate adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Saturday. 

Assembly Democrats are still trying to pass several budget-related bills that implement the $101 billion budget it passed last Monday. But Assembly Republicans continued their opposition as the budget standoff entered its 20th day. 

“Everything is completely up in the air,” said Dana O’Donnell, spokeswoman for Assembly Republicans. 

Four Republicans who bolted their party Monday, joining Democrats to pass the budget, have since balked at passing bills needed to finish the job. Republicans Dave Kelley of Idyllwild, Richard Dickerson of Redding, Anthony Pescetti of Rancho Cordova and Mike Briggs of Fresno have frustrated surprised Democrats who thought the impasse ended Monday. 

“It’s pretty clear that the far right part of the caucus that held us up for a few weeks here is back in control,” said Paul Hefner, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys. “Witness the debate yesterday on abortion. That’s something that’s been settled for 20 years in this state.” 

Republicans voted against a bill implementing a health care budget for low-income Californians because part of it contains state money to pay for abortions. 

The Assembly recessed most of the day while Democratic leaders tried varying combinations to come up with a two-thirds majority needed to send the budget to the Senate for a vote. 

The Senate, too, in votes early this month, was one vote shy of the necessary two-thirds majority to pass a budget. 

The Legislature was scheduled to begin a monthlong recess Friday. 

Gov. Gray Davis, meanwhile, expressed optimism Friday that a budget is near. 

“I am optimistic that a budget can be passed by Sunday or Monday at the latest,” he said. 

If so, Davis said he could sign it as early as Wednesday or Thursday. 

The governor said his office has done “a lot of preliminary work on the budget” and that “we’ll probably need one full day to review it.” 

Davis, who has veto power over the budget line by line, will reveal his deletions when he signs the budget. Gubernatorial budget vetoes require a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and Senate to override. Historically, it seldom happens. 

Near the end of June, Davis said he’d veto approximately $400 million from the budget to carry a $2.6 billion reserve fund into the new fiscal year. The current budget proposal contains a $2.1 billion reserve. This year’s budget, the third of Davis’ administration, is the first to remain unfinished as the state began a new fiscal year on July 1. 

Before that legislators missed the July 1 deadline eight times in nine years. In 1992 the deadlock continued until Sept. 2.